Interview by Darryn Bennett in Voice of San Diego Newspaper July 11-12, 2008

Date:   7/12/2008 12:19:03 AM ( 16 y ago)

This is the Interview that Darryn Bennett did that appeared
in the Voice of San Diego Online Newspaper.

http://voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2008/07/12/news/02leslie071208.txt

I made a few corrections:

The Enchanted Gardener: Questions for Leslie Goldman

Leslie Goldman is also known as the "Enchanted Gardener." Photo: Sam Hodgson


Saturday, July 12, 2008 |

Wearing an Atlanta Braves baseball hat and carrying a large potted plant, Leslie Goldman, also known as the "Enchanted Gardener," fancies himself a planter of dreams. A former journalism student and a freelance photographer by profession, he has spent the last 15 years traveling around telling people why they should grow their own food -- or at least one plant -- and buy locally grown, organic food. He’s convinced that if people feel more connected to what they eat, problems ranging from obesity and childhood sugar highs to hotly-contested immigration issues could be solved.

Goldman gave up his aspirations of becoming a mainstream reporter 40 years ago when he was diagnosed with a form of chronic arthritis. Looking for an alternative to prescriiption drugs, he came from Los Angeles to San Diego and lived on a health ranch in Escondido. He left the ranch several years later when his health was on the mend, but he has hung his hat in San Diego ever since.

The potted plant he totes is actually an organic -- and edible, he points out -- beet that he carries to promote his latest campaign encouraging everyone to own at least one plant. The motto of the campaign, called "Keep the Beet," is "one pot, one plant and I’m a gardener."

We caught up with the Enchanted Gardener and his beet, named Keep the Beet Media Star, on his way to the Farmers’ Market in Hillcrest.

Tell me about the "Enchanted Gardener."

It’s the persona I’ve created. I use to get very emotional early in my life when I would find forms that said, "what do you do?" you know, for a living, or even, "who are you?" But I just had my 60th birthday and I’m pretty clear about who I am right now, and who I am is the persona I’ve created, "The Enchanted Gardener." I basically plant seeds for "super ripe" people and their dreams. I hold the highest aspirations for a beautiful world. In my persona as your enchanted gardener, I consider my employer Mother Earth.

Tell me about the beet you carry.

I travel with plants. I never go anywhere without plants and right now one of the seeds I’m planting is "Keep the Beet." "Keep the Beet" is an opportunity to encourage the people that I meet to reestablish their connection with growing food. I’d like them to regain the understanding that we can grow some of our food. "Keep the Beet" is a locally grown, organic beet. The idea that I was inspired with is that you take one person plus one pot and I’m a gardener. All I’m asking is each person to get one locally grown organic beet -- or the best they can get -- put in a pot of the best soil they can get and grow that beet. Eat the beet greens. You will learn a lot from doing this.


Related Links

An Educational Journey: Questions for Tony Haymet (July 4, 2008)

Why is it so important to grow a beet?

Because we’re living in a world right now that has lost its relationship with growing things. I have a very close relationship with the organic farmers in San Diego. I notice that a number of the farmers who have been feeding me for many years are under duress right now ... and they have had to cut back the amount of food that they’re growing. At the end of the day, consumers are not aware how important it is to support the local farmers.

Why is it important to support them?

Basically, I would say I’m very concerned with homeland security. I’m very concerned with earth-based homeland security. My idea to solve immigration problems is to make sure people’s needs are met. If our neighbors south of the border had the food that they really need to feed themselves in a healthy manner, that would make a difference. I’d rather see the people of Mexico thriving in their own home. As far as homeland security, more and more we are outsourcing our production of food. From my looking at this, what sense does it make to be building uncomfortable relationships with your neighbors, such as Mexico, and at the same time be asking them to grow our food? OK? I mean, that to me doesn’t make much sense.

Tell me more about why people should have at least one plant.

We need a moment of awakening. I am very sincere in honoring the value of science. But on the other hand, science needs to, and kids in the schools need to, have a foundation in nature. We can’t continue to create a generation of children who know more about uploading information into Apple computers than they do about the fundamentals of how science works. When I water this plant, it reminds me to drink water. My plant has to be out in the sunshine. That reminds me, that as a human being, for my health, I have to go out in the sunshine. By encouraging each person to grow one plant, they can become connected again. We have a tendency now to become more and more fragmented.

What’s your take on biotechnology? Are there conflicts between the organic movement and technology?

I am welcoming a dialogue with my family in the biotech movement because science is a beautiful terrain ... but we can’t lose sight of the overall picture. Being that we all live on the same planet, we have to be in dialogue. We need to sit down and look at the problems long-range and look at what we’re creating. Why solve problems through science or biotech that can be solved naturally. I mean, I understand that researchers get money from doing constant research, but we have to look long-term at the creations we do and what effect they’re going to have long-term. There’s no reason for anybody who has a brain to succeed in science to not come up with marvelous inventions, but I think we need an ethics behind that.

What kind of creations are you talking about?

There are major concerns about what happens when people change the nature of creation to create new things. We may have the ability, but do we have the wisdom? I mean, look, there’s certain creations I’d love to see. I mean, maybe, and I’m just playing, it would be not so bad to have a clone, you know? For people who are lonely, maybe a girlfriend or something. Or we could have extra body parts lying around when we needed them. You know what I mean? No, I’m just playing, but, there is a big contention that natural foods and biotech can’t coexist. When you put [technology] in the hands of people who don’t understand life or have the ethics in the first place ... or are mainly concerned with profit, then you can start hurting people. I would support biotech inventions within medicine and things like stem cells and prolonging life. But I would not support it in food. The solution isn’t in genetically engineered food. Don’t try to create new foods through science. There’s a natural way to do it. Build up the soil.

What’s your lifestyle like?

I live in a natural environment called the Enchanted Garden Intentional Community near SDSU. I live with other people, other adults. ... I don’t live with people who necessarily agree with me and I eat with people who are eating all over the map -- from culinary orgasms with sweet desserts to growing wheatgrass, to
making tea from herbs we grow ourselves.

I am basically a whole, pure natural eater. I like farm fresh, local, organic. I’m not a vegetarian. I’m eating more and more vegetarian according to what my body needs, but I feel some people basically need higher protein foods. But I do think the more we become educated about who we are, then the lower we can live on the food chain.

Do you have any final thoughts?

I enjoy a challenge. I’m not into preaching to the choir. Of course. Local is becoming a catch phrase and a trend, but that’s fine. Everyone should grow something of their own or buy from a local grower. ... I’d like to see everybody support the farmers' markets. Go out of their way and go with neighbors. Anyone who goes is going to feel the power of local. You have people in social interaction. You find people conversing. You find people having fun. It’s a village. It is absolutely a village. And you know, we have to get the children back off the computer and get down some basics, and that’s tied in with food. Kids can’t just be exposed to sugar and getting whacked out. Now, Keep the Beet Media Star, if you ask her, she has far more radical ideas than I do.


-- Interview by DARRYN BENNETT


KEEP THE BEET SCHEDULE:

Saturday

Whole Foods Market
711 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
619.294.2800
619.294.2830 fax

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/calendars/HIL.html

Saturday, July 12th

Outdoor Market
12:00–3:00 p.m. Free
Join us on the patio and in the store to taste the products of our local growers and vendors.
Discover the many taste and eco benefits of buying local. Raffle, samples and more!

Sunday, July 13, 11-1 PM
at JR Rodriguez Jr. Stand across from the Music.
Market is from 9 AM-1 PM
http://www.hillquest.com/hba/farmersmarket.htm

JULY 19

11 AM-1 PM
at City Farmers' Nursery
4832 Home Avenue (@ Euclid Ave) San Diego, CA USA 92105

Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm
(619) 284-6358
http://www.CityFarmersNursery.com

4-8 PM
at La Milpa Organica Farm
Potluck

Directions:
La Milpa Organica Farm is located near I-15
5 miles north of Escondido

Exit Deer Springs/Mountain Meadow Rd.
Turn right at the top of the exit ramp (turn left if coming from the north)
Turn right onto North Centre City Parkway
Turn at the first left onto Protea Gardens Rd.
the road ends at the farm
http://milpaorganica.com/events/events.html


Keep up with the Adventures
of Keep the Beet Media Star on the Plant Your Dream Blog
http://www.curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1150542

Jr Organics Farmers' Markets:
http://www.jrorganicsfarm.com/market.php

JR Organics CSA:
http://www.jrorganicsfarm.com/

Inland Empire CSA:
http://www.inlandempirecsa.com/


[I made a few edits to this...
Leslie]

This was originally printed in the
Voice of San DIego Newspaper
July 11, 2008. There are two photos from
Sam Hodgson.

Darryn did a great job.
She taped what I said into a Digital Recorder.
She didn't hear a couple things I said, so I corrected them
added a couple words here and there, and tied a sentence together
in a different way. Still a bunch of words that could go.

Wearing the Atlanta Braves hat is a story in itself.
I'll write that one up when I have time.
I am not a baseball fan, but got this hat at BIO
from the Georgia folks. Georgia is hosting next year's BIO.
I have a Georgia pin on one side, and an Organic Trade Assoication Pin
on the other. I made a number of friends who had booths
in the Georgia Pavillon. I want to follow up with the folks
I met from Saint Joseph's Hospital. There was enthusiasm
for having Peter's Sunflower in that hospital.

It was neat to watch how I kept gravitating to the same
people day after day. I met Ralf Rawitch the first night.
There were 10,000 people, but we bumped into each other
three of the four days. Finally, on Friday, I picked him up
and took him to Whole Foods Market, the Farmers" Market,
and the house here. He said he wanted to dance salsa,
so I arranged for him to meet a friend who loves to dance.
He had a ball.

Your EG

Uploaded here
9:19 AM
July 25, 08

REQUESTED CORRECTIONS
send in an email to Darryn Bennett



PARAGRAPH # 2
Goldman gave up his aspirations of becoming a mainstream reporter 40 years ago when he was diagnosed with a form of chronic arthritis. Looking for an alternative to prescriiption drugs, he came to California and lived on a health ranch in Escondido. He left the ranch several years later when his health was on the mend, but he has hung his hat in San Diego ever since.

LINE

Edit: came to San Diego from Los Angeles in 1972 and lived on a health ranch in Escondido for a number of years. He has hung his hat in San DIego ever since.

[ FYI I was born in Los Angeles.]

MINOR:

Paragraph #3, LAST SENTENCE:

The potted plant he totes is actually an organic -- and edible, he points out -- beet that he carries to promote his latest campaign encouraging everyone to own at least one plant. The motto of the campaign, called "Keep the Beet," is "one pot, one plant and I’m a gardener."

EDIT:

the Beet" is "one pot+one plant=I'm a gardnener."


PARAGRAPH #5

Tell me about the "Enchanted Gardener."
It’s the persona I’ve created. I use to get very emotional early in my life when I would find forms that said, "what do you do?" you know, for a living, or even, "who are you?" But I just had my 60th birthday and I’m pretty clear about who I am right now, and who I am is the persona I’ve created, "The Enchanted Gardener." I basically plant dreams for the super right people. I hold the highest aspirations for a beautiful world. In my persona as your enchanted gardener, I consider my employer Mother Earth.

EDIT LINE #5:: I basically plant seeds for "super ripe" people and their dreams

or just change RIGHT in line #5 to ripe.

[FYI: I do not necessary believe
that there is a group of people who are RIGHT.]


PARAGRAPH # 12

printed as:

What’s your lifestyle like?
I live in a natural environment called the Enchanted Gardener Intentional near SDSU. I live with other people, other adults. ... I don’t live with people who necessarily agree with me and I eat with people who are eating all over the map -- from food orgasms to desserts to sweets to everything. In other words, I enjoy a challenge. I’m not into preaching to the choir. I am basically a whole, pure natural eater. I like farm fresh, local, organic. I’m not a vegetarian. I’m eating more and more vegetarian according to what my body needs, but I feel some people basically need higher protein foods. But I do think the more we become educated about who we are, then the lower we can live on the food chain.


EDIT PLEASE:

What’s your lifestyle like?

LINE #1:

I live in a natural environment called the Enchanted Gardener Intentional near SDSU. I live with other people, other adults. ...

I don’t live with people who necessarily agree with me and I eat with people who are eating all over the map -- from having culinary orgasms with sweets to others who aspiire to be vegan, or grow wheatgrass
as a supplement.

I would cut out this sentence:
In other words, I enjoy a challenge. I’m not into preaching to the choir.

and move it to the last paragraph;

EDIT: I live in a natural environment called the Enchanted Garden Intentional Community near SDSU.


LAST PARAGRAPH:

This first sentence was moved from
PARAGRAPH #12 LINE 4 to the First Line of
the LAST PARAGRAGH:

I enjoy a challenge. I’m not into preaching to the choir. Of course. Local is becoming a catch phrase and a trend, but that’s fine. Everyone should grow something of their own or buy from a local grower. ... I’d like to see everybody support the farmers' markets. Go out of their way and go with neighbors. Anyone who goes is going to feel the power of local. You have people in social interaction. You find people conversing. You find people having fun. It’s a village. It is absolutely a village. And you know, we have to get the children back off the computer and get down some basics, and that’s tied in with food. Kids can’t just be exposed to sugar and getting whacked out. Now, Keep the Beet Media Star, if you ask her, she has far more radical ideas than I do.

EMAILS FOR STAFF OF THE PAPER:


http://voiceofsandiego.org/contact_us/

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